GOLDMINE SLOTS - INSTRUCTIONS

             TOPICS

             Copyright Notice 
             What is Shareware 
             Contacting the Author  
             How to Register 
             Technical Support 
             System Requirements 
             Installing 
             Trouble-shooting 
             Playing instructions 
             Screen by Screen  
             Playing the Machines
             Machine Descriptions 
             Statistics 
             Warnings and Disclaimers
             Credits
             The Last Word

 
DISCLAIMER - AGREEMENT
By installing GOLDMINE SLOT CASINO on a computer system, you agree 
to accept the following disclaimer of warranty:

GOLDMINE SLOT CASINO is supplied as is. The author disclaims all 
warranties, expressed or implied, including without limitation the 
warranties of merchantability and of fitness for any purpose. The 
author assumes no liability for damages, whether direct or 
consequential, which may result from the use of GOLDMINE SLOT CASINO.

WHAT IS SHAREWARE?
Shareware gives users a chance to try software before buying it. 
It's a distribution method, not a type of software. The Shareware 
system makes fitting your needs easier, because you can try before 
you buy. And because the overhead is low, prices are low also. 
Shareware has the ultimate money-back guarantee - if you don't use 
the product, you don't pay for it. The essence is to provide quality 
software at modest prices, while giving an incentive for programmers 
to continue to develop new products. If you enjoy using this program 
and are still using it after 30 days, you should register it.

GOLDMINE SLOT CASINO is copyright software which is provided to you 
at no charge for evaluation. Feel free to share it with your 
friends, but please do not charge money for it or give it away 
altered or as part of any package or system. Anyone wishing to 
distribute GOLDMINE SLOT CASINO for money must first obtain a 
commercial distribution agreement from the author. 

CONTACTING THE AUTHOR
Pete Hand can be contacted by e-mail at the following locations:

            petehand@magicnet.net
            petespw@juno.com
            70374.2734@compuserve.com

Or by regular mail at:

            637 Greencove Terrace, #138
            Altamonte Springs
            Florida 32714, USA

Or by fax at:

            [+1] 407-774-0070

Over the life of a product, addresses and phone numbers can change. 
However, at least one the e-mail addresses given above will always 
be valid, so if in doubt, send e-mail.


HOW TO REGISTER GOLDMINE SLOT CASINO
Registering GOLDMINE SLOT CASINO costs $20. I accept cash, money 
orders and personal checks drawn on US banks in US dollars. For 
personal checks, please allow 15 days for clearance. If your check 
bounces, subsequent registration will cost you $35, as my bank will 
stick me with a $15 charge. Overseas registrations, please send an 
international money order for 20 US Dollars, an American $20 
banknote, or something equivalent in your local currency (no coins). 
Special offer to British users: for once here's something that's 
cheaper in Britain than America. It's ten pounds to you, if you send 
a ten pound note.

WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU REGISTER
When you register, I'll send you a registration key on a 3.5 inch disk.
If you'd like a 5 inch disk, please say so. If you prefer, send me your
e-mail address and I'll send you the key by internet e-mail, normally
the same day I get your payment. Registering will allow you to keep 
full records of your play, and allow you to install add-on packs of
different machines. I'll also add your name to my mailing list, send
you updates when available, and think of you as a Very Nice Person.
For overseas orders, the customs declaration will read "Disk, value
$0.50"  - normally this will avoid any disagreeable customs duty or
sales tax. Programs delivered by e-mail are practically guaranteed to
be tax and duty free.

        *****  DON'T FORGET TO SEND YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS  *****

TECHNICAL SUPPORT
I'll do my best to fix problems and help you get the program running 
if you have difficulties. Please read the "Trouble Shooting" section 
first, though. You can contact me by mail, fax or Email (much 
preferred), or through the comp.shareware.author newsgroup on the 
Internet. Unregistered users are welcome too, but please don't 
bother me with a lot of questions if you don't intend to register 
the program.


SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
This program requires a 386 or better processor, a color VGA adaptor 
with at least 256k of memory, 512k of RAM and 1 Mbyte of hard disk 
space. You may run it from a floppy disk, but screen changes may be 
rather slow. A mouse is highly desirable, but not essential. If the 
program finds a Creative Labs Soundblaster or compatible sound card, 
it will use it, otherwise it will use the PC speaker.

INSTALLING THE PROGRAM
This program is intended to run under MS-DOS on a PC-compatible 
computer. It will run under Windows 3.1, Windows for Workgroups and 
Windows 95, but it will most assuredly not run under any version of 
Windows NT Workstation. I regret there is no Macintosh version 
either available or planned. Whether you install for DOS or any 
version of Windows, the software is the same. The only difference is 
that for Windows, the installer creates a program group and 
installs .PIF files (shortcuts, in 95-speak).

INSTALLING FOR MS-DOS
Unpack the distribution file in a temporary directory, then switch 
to this directory and run INSTALL. This will check out your system, 
create the necessary directories and install the program. Change to 
the GOLDMINE directory and run SLOT.EXE to play the game.

INSTALLING FOR WINDOWS 3.1
From the File menu, select Run, then locate the distribution file 
and execute it to unpack it. Return to the File menu, select Run 
again and locate SETUP in the directory where you unpacked the 
files. Run SETUP, which will create a directory and a program group. 

INSTALLING FOR WINDOWS 95
Follow the procedure for Windows 3.1. You may want to make a few 
changes right after the install to make the program easier to find 
in future, as the Goldmine group box will disappear when you close 
it. Right-Click on the SLOT icon (Windows will probably have given 
it an MSDOS icon) and select Properties. A tabbed box will open 
headed "shortcut to Goldmine Slots" which will allow you to make any 
changes you need. In particular, you can change the Icon. Click on 
Change Icon, browse to the GOLDMINE directory, open SLOT.ICO and 
click OK. If you like, you can drag the program onto the desktop for 
easier access later.  

INSTALLING FOR WINDOWS NT
Don't.

CLEANING UP
After installing, you can delete the files from the temporary 
location where you unpacked the distribution file.


TROUBLESHOOTING
Q. Why does my mouse works in Windows, but not in this program?
A. This is an MS-DOS program, and needs the mouse driver to be 
   loaded in DOS as well as Windows. Check to see whether a mouse 
   driver is loaded in your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files.

Q. When I run the program in Windows, sometimes I get no sound.
A. Occasionally, Windows and the program's sound drivers have a
   disagreement the first time you run it after a reboot. If you
   exit the game and start it again, the sound will work, and it will
   always work from then on until you reboot. Why? Ask Bill Gates.

Q. Everything runs fine in DOS, but not in Windows 95.
A. The program was extensively tested on different machines running 
   Windows 95, and in only one or two cases were problems found. It's 
   impossible to give general guidelines, since every computer is 
   slightly different, but one sure fix is to run the game in MS-DOS 
   mode. Right-click the icon, select Properties, Program, Advanced, 
   then check the box for MS-DOS mode and "ok" all the way out. The 
   computer will then switch to MS-DOS mode whenever you run the 
   program. It's a little clumsy running that way, but it does work in 
   every case.

Q. The reels seem to spin awfully fast! They don't look natural.
A. You're probably running in Windows. Do the screens fade in and 
   out smoothly, or do they just flash up? If they flash up and the 
   reels spin too fast you have a problem with your video card. The 
   game takes its timing from vertical sync, and on some Windows 
   installations sync generates an interrupt. This prevents the game 
   from getting its timing information. The PIF or shortcut should take 
   care of it, so make sure you start from the PIF or the shortcut and 
   not from SLOT.EXE itself.

Q. I'm having a different problem, which you haven't mentioned.
A. Talk to me about it and I'll see what I can do to help you get it 
   sorted out.

PLAYING INSTRUCTIONS
GOLDMINE is a slot machine game that attempts to give as accurate a 
simulation as possible of the appearance and action of casino slot 
machines. The main difference from the real thing is you don't need 
real money. These machines are played with simulated credit cards, 
and winnings are paid out to your card. Some real casinos are 
adopting this scheme, but that's because they're CHEAP! They can't 
afford to fill the machines with real money (actually the MGM in Las 
Vegas tried it and found nobody played those machines, so the 
concept was still-born). Just to prove we're not cheap at the 
Goldmine, you can choose to have the machines sound like they're 
paying out coins and pretend you're playing with real money, but we 
still use the cards for keeping accounts.

Every time you start the program you have $100 of credits, like a 
prepaid phone card. If you lose all your money, you have to go back 
to work - ie, exit from the program - to get more (just like real 
life). If you win, we assume you squander most of it on food and 
clothes before you come back, so no matter how much you leave with, 
you start again with $100 next time.

Alternatively, you can open a casino account and get a Gold Mine 
slot club card. This is much more agreeable. For one thing, you get 
a credit line of $1000. For another, you can use our handy ATM, 
operated on our behalf by a major bank. Conveniently located in 
Zurich, Switzerland, our bank will respect your privacy (Americans 
will no doubt find this a refreshing contrast from their local 
financial services provider). The bank invests your funds in dubious 
high-yield securities that you don't want to know about, so if by 
some chance you completely run out of money and credit, it will pay 
you a small dividend to keep you going. Four different cards are 
provided, allowing up to four different people to play the same 
game, and full statistics are kept for each player. The registered 
version saves these details for next time you play.

GOLDMINE SLOT CASINO is best played with a mouse. In order to use a 
mouse, you must have a mouse driver loaded in DOS. The driver is 
normally loaded by AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS when you turn the 
machine on. Just because your mouse works in Windows doesn't mean 
you have a driver loaded in DOS, so before you request technical 
support because the mouse isn't working, please check your 
configuration.

If you don't have a mouse, or even if you do but prefer to use the 
keys, a keyboard equivalent is available for each and every function 
in the program. Normally it's the letter underlined on the button 
you're interested in. When selecting a machine to play, the buttons 
are numbered 1 to 6 from top to bottom. As a general rule, the ENTER 
key takes you one screen further in, and the ESC key takes you one 
back. ALT-Q, the "boss key", takes you out of the program 
immediately from any screen. Everything is still saved. 

SCREEN BY SCREEN
When you start the game, you are on a dark desert highway, cool wind 
in your hair, warm smell of melitas .. coming out of Pete's Gold 
Mine Casino. Click or press ENTER to go to the lobby.

LOBBY
In the lobby you may select a player, visit the ATM or the 
information desk, and go through to the slot machines. The four 
credit cards represent players. To use them, click on one that has a 
name on it. The name is highlighted in yellow, and all subsequent 
winnings and losses are charged to this card. If you do not select a 
player you can still use the slot machines, but you are limited to 
the cash in your pocket and when it is gone, you must leave. The 
unregistered program won't save the cards, so you'll have to 
re-apply every time you play.

ATM
The ATM is a perfectly standard automatic teller machine, as seen 
outside any bank. Instead of dispensing currency, it moves credits 
between your credit card and your bank account. The main thing to 
remember is your PIN, which is printed on your card (I first 
discovered this interesting attitude to security on my AT&T phone 
card). You can enter numbers by clicking on the ATM buttons, or from 
the keyboard. If you don't have a card selected, you can still play 
with the ATM but it won't let you have any money. When you leave the 
ATM screen, you return to the Lobby.

INFORMATION DESK
On the information desk is a self-service computer terminal, from 
which you can read the help files, apply for a credit card and look 
at your player statistics. Clicking on the "i" sign gives you 
general information about the software. Clicking on STATEMENT will 
tell you the playing history of the currently selected credit card. 
Clicking on LEAVE takes you back to the lobby.

OPEN AN ACCOUNT
This is how you obtain a credit card. The program will select the 
next available free card and invite you to fill it out. If all four 
cards are already in use, you will need to delete an existing name - 
the program will prompt you to return to the lobby and select the 
one you wish to delete. You will then be asked for your name. Any 
name will do, since our Casino is in the VGA, not the USA, and we've 
never even HEARD of a 1099, W-4 or Treasury Regulation 6A. The only 
rule is that your name can't begin with a space. Once you enter a 
name the program allocates you a PIN number, opens a bank account 
with some money in it, and selects the new card for play.

PLAYING THE MACHINES
In the Lobby, clicking PLAY (or pressing the Enter key) takes you to 
a machine selection screen. On the right are six icons which 
represent the machines available. These may vary, depending on what 
packages you have loaded. Clicking on a machine icon (or pressing 
numbers 1 through 6) displays a picture of the machine, in which you 
can study the payoff schedule and look at the meters to see how 
loose or tight it's been lately. When you've selected a machine you 
can click its box again, or press its number again, or press the 
Enter key, or click PLAY, any of which will put you right in front 
of the actual game. Clicking QUIT takes you back to the Lobby.

CONTROLS ON THE MACHINES
Each machine has a row of push buttons at the bottom, which are 
based on the buttons found on the real thing. They light up or go 
out according to what you are doing. In general, they only do 
something when they are lit. Each one has a keyboard equivalent, in 
case you don't have a mouse.

CHANGE          (keyboard: $)
When this is lit, click it to put $20 in the machine from your 
credit card (or pocket, if you didn't select a card). If you don't 
have $20, it will take what you have.

CREDIT/CASH     (keyboard: X)
This button toggles on and off. When it is lit, the machine will pay 
out to the credit meter. When it is not lit, the machine will drop 
coins in the tray with a satisfying noise. Clicking CHANGE turns 
this button on by default.

PLAY 1 CREDIT   (keyboard: C)
When lit, this button plays 1 credit from the credit meter. It goes 
out when the maximum coins (2 or 3) have been played or when you 
don't have any more credits.

SPIN            (keyboard: Space)
This button lights up when at least 1 coin or credit is played. 
Pressing it runs the machine.

PLAY MAXIMUM    (keyboard: M)
When lit, this button play credits from the credit meter up to the 
maximum number for this machine. If you have enough credits to play 
the maximum, the machine will start automatically. If not, it gives 
you a chance to get more change or insert coins from the tray, or 
you can just play what you have with the SPIN button.

COINS IN TRAY   (keyboard: D)
When the CASH/CREDIT button is off, any coins on the credit meter, 
and any winnings, are paid out to the cash tray. The number of coins 
in the tray is displayed, if there are any. To play coins from the 
tray, just click on it. We can't actually take and pay real coins, 
but if you close your eyes and listen you'll believe you're using 
real silver dollars.

EXIT            (keyboard: Esc)
Clicking this button takes you back to the pick screen, saving any 
coins and credits remaining. If you exit with coins in the tray, 
they will be put back in the tray of the next machine you play; but 
they are cashed out to your credit card when you go to the Lobby.

ALT MENU
Pressing the ALT key displays another menu on the bottom line. The 
mouse doesn't function on this line, but you have the following 
keyboard options:

        ALT-Q     Quit the game instantly (your credit will be saved)
        ALT-S     Turn the sound on and off
        ALT-T     Display the payoff tables for this machine
        ALT-A     Auto-play maximum credits until they run out

Also on this line are the current values of the Coins In, Coins Out, 
and Total Play meters for this session. These totals are cleared 
every time you restart the main program, but permanent accumulating 
totals are kept for each machine and may be viewed from the Select 
Machine screen.

MACHINE DESCRIPTIONS (SLOTPAK 1)
The program is in two parts - a "manager", which comprises the lobby 
area and player services, and a machine pack. If there are multiple 
game packs in the game directory, and a registration key, the game 
will automatically find them and offer them for play, using the same 
player cards and record keeping for all of them. One pack is 
supplied with the distribution version, featuring my interpretation 
of six popular (and recognizable) Casino slots.

JUMPIN' JEWELS
A one-line, 3-coin multiplier. This is the Super version, with 
moving bars .. a personal favorite. The Jumpin' Jewels symbol is 
wild. Each Jumpin' Jewel symbol on a winning line doubles the 
payoff. For example, 2 blue bars and a JJ pays twice the amount that 
3 blue bars would pay; 1 blue bar and 2 JJ's pays four times the 
amount. The payoff is multiplied by the number of credits you played.

RED, WHITE and BLUE
What slot game is complete without this one? Any combination of 
symbols pays something .. more if the colors or symbols match, and 
more if the colors are in the order red, white, blue. The payoff is 
multiplied by the number of credits played. (The name Red White and 
Blue is copyright IGT. Note: I haven't named the machine that, just 
described the colors on the screen. "De minimis non curat lex", guys)

LUCKY 777
A one-line, 3-coin multiplier. The payoffs on this machine are 
relatively large, but less frequent than the other machines. If you 
play 3 credits, the minimum win is 30.

GRAND SLAM
This is a little different - it's a 3-coin buy. Payoffs are NOT 
multiplied by the number of credits you play. Instead, the first 
credit buys the first few win combinations, the second buys some 
more, and the third buys the rest. The machine will not pay off on 
winning combinations you didn't buy, so if you only play one coin 
and hit 7-7-Shield, instead of a nice jackpot you'll get zilch. 
That'll teach ya - ALWAYS play the max. If you can't afford to play 
maximum coins in real life, choose a cheaper machine.

AVALANCHE
Another 3-coin multiplier with familiar Bar-5 and Bar-7 symbols, and 
wild symbols. Wilds pay off on their own, but they don't multiply.

ANARCHY
Just to be different, this is a 2-coin multiplier. The ANARCHY 
symbol is wild, and each one on a winning line doubles the payoff. 
Look out for some unusual moves when you hit a winner! Things can 
get a bit haywire sometimes.

STATISTICS AND STUFF
Our slots are the loosest you'll find anywhere. That doesn't mean 
you'll hit the jackpot on every visit, but it does mean that on 
average, you'll leave with the money you started with.

Actually, things vary. Sometimes you'll find a machine set for high 
frequency - lots of small payouts, but not many big ones. Sometimes 
you'll find one set for frequent jackpots, in which case you won't 
hit so many small payoffs. Sometimes they'll be loose, and sometimes 
they'll be tight. To keep life interesting, these settings change 
every time you play. If the game had a thousand different machines 
we could scatter them around, like in Casinos (where saying "99.5% 
SLOTS!" means they have one or two in a corner somewhere, and the 
rest are more like 85%), but this is the best we can do with six. If 
you think a machine is tight, go back to the Pick screen and select 
it again; it will probably be different next time. If you're a smart 
player, you can always find a loose machine and end up a winner.

FURTHER WARNINGS AND DISCLAIMERS
This program is guaranteed to do absolutely nothing. It may burn 
your monitor, corrupt your hard disk, give you Carpel Tunnel 
Syndrome from excessive use of the mouse, get you fired for playing 
when you ought to be working, or cause other unspecified loss, 
damage, pain and/or suffering. Don't even THINK of sueing me. If you 
install and/or use this program, you assume full responsibility for 
any consequences and agree to hold the author and distributors free 
of all liability for any loss or damage, however caused.

This program is not a gambling device. It is an educational resource 
produced for the sole purpose of demonstrating the evil and 
addictive effects of so-called "slot machines" on weak persons of a 
venal disposition. In fact, our psychic tells us that Carrie Nation 
approves of it.

CREDITS
It's become the fashion in computer games to put long, boring 
movie-style credits at the end. Not wishing to be thought 
unfashionable, and having a number of people to honor ...

                    A PETE'S PLAYWARE PRODUCTION
        copyright (c) MCMXCVI Peter E. Hand, all rights reserved

                      Programming: Pete Hand
                          Artwork: Pete Hand
                          Testers: Pat Armitage, Chris Matthews,
          (in order of appearance) Elliott Shapiro, Steve Peters,
                                   Al Krigman, Steve Samuels,
                                   Charles Bemis, Ric Goldenberg
                                   and a host of extras.
                         Best Boy: Tim Hand
                           Gaffer: The Reverend George Hand
                         Key Grip: Linda Olds
                   Clapper Loader: Sally Hand
                     Main Squeeze: Marcia Rogers
                  Sound Recordist: Pete Hand
                      Inspiration: Charles August Fey, 1862-1944
                                   Inventor of the Bell slot machine
              Further inspiration: Mickey Wichinsky
             Assistant to Mr Hand: Lisa McCracken
        Assistant to Ms McCracken: Jamie Gallagher
            Mr Hand's hairdresser: King's Head
               Mr Hand's wardrobe: Levi Strauss
                   Transportation: Wrecks'R'Us
                         Catering: Guido's Pizza and Massage
                Beverage services: Samuel Adams

                Produced and Directed by Pete Hand
                -= PUBLISHED BY PETE'S PLAYWARE =-
                      "Avaricia radix malorum"
              (God knows I don't do it for the money)


HISTORY
GOLDMINE SLOT CASINO was written entirely in Assembler, using the 
editor in Xtree Gold and MASM. The artwork was prepared using a 
pencil and squared paper, and PC-Paintbrush for Windows. The first 
sketches were made on May 18th 1995 and the program was first 
published in July of that year. This revision was released on May 
18th 1997 to mark the second anniversary of its conception.

THE LAST WORD
Finally, for the million or so people all over the world who have a 
copy of his 1991 shareware classic VGA SLOTS, Mr Hand would like to 
show his appreciation to those who sent money to register the 
program.

        "To all thirty of you: THANKS!"

